Dunell, Basil (1885-1977)

Basil Dunell lived at 1835 Pendrell Street from 1920 to about 1925. He was an electrical engineer who worked for the British Columbia Electric Railway.

He was born on March 8, 1885, in Fulham, London, England. His father was George Robert Dunell (1847-1907), who was an engineer and writer; his mother was Catherine Robinson Thompson.

Basil was still living with his parents in England in 1901. He appears to have come to North America by about 1910; he spent some time in Michigan. In 1914, he was a witness at the wedding of his brother, Bernard, in Vancouver.

Basil was a temporary second lieutenant with the Corps of Royal Engineers in the British military during the First World War.

In 1918, in Brentford district, Middlesex, England, he married Elizabeth Dodd Allan. She was born on January 31, 1883, in Ontario. Her father was Thomas Allan; her mother was Sarah Dodd. (She was a sister of Joseph Dodd Allan, who lived at 1860 Comox Street from 1911 to 1914).

By 1920, Basil was living at 1835 Pendrell Street, where he stayed until about 1925. He later lived in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Basil died in Vancouver on March 14, 1977. He was buried in Ocean View Burial Park in Burnaby.

Elizabeth died in Vancouver on January 13, 1960. She was also buried in Ocean View Burial Park in Burnaby.

Basil and Elizabeth had at least one child: Basil Anderson Dunell (1923-2005) went to Princeton University, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1949.

Basil’s brother, Bernard Dunell (1881-1948), was a mechanical engineer who lived in Vancouver.